Chaplain's Corner
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Chaplain’s Corner GET READY FOR THE SHOW - Fr. Charles Menezes riends, this has been a long journey for me all over India in the past two months. I met various kinds of people in various cities of India. Meeting people, en F countering various groups of students and people has made me more enthusiastic to work relentlessly for the movement in the coming days. We have been a preparing for the XVI National Council. Most of the Regions have selected their delegates and getting ready to take part in it. Travelling via road, tracks and air would be very interesting coz it will enthuse you all with a new vision for the movement in your Diocese and Region. It is a 10 day long deliberation and study session. It will mark the direction in which the movement needs to move ahead. Hope our efforts bear fruit. We need your support and prayers. Networking is the main aspect of the modern day. Social networking sites have been offering enough opportunities to express our concerns over several issues and that should help us getting to know the reality of the society and merge into it for the betterment of the society. The recent events like atrocities committed against women and girls are an eye opener for us to accept our shortcomings in dealing with human issues. Members of our movement should respond to it positively by respecting and accepting equality to all genders. In this issue we introduce you to a new organization working for the children to do advocacy, called nine is mine. Kindly get in touch with them and offer your help. It will open a new world for you. You will be blessed for doing that bit for the poor children of the world. There is no alternative to it unless we change ourselves. Let our National, meeting help us to look deep into the reality of the movement and the society and work in the right direction in the topic taken up for our study ‘Students’ education in the modern era’ By the next academic year you will have a set of new Constitution which will put your movement in the right perspective. Regions kindly need to put it in the regional language for the understanding of the members. Become members of the movement by paying Rs 2 each to the Diocesan, Regional and National offices. Also translate the study matter into the local language and prepare plan of lessons for the Cell meetings. It will make all of us study, analyze and campaign for the same issue taken up for the next three years. You have been preparing for exams for a long time. Do well. You have been involved in the movement and God will bless you with grace marks for doing that bit for the humanity and Mother Earth. We wish you all success in your endeavors. Come out with fine colors. Those who finish their term in the movement continue to work in the YCS/YSM spirituality by forming your own groups like College cells or City cells and Village YCS/YSM groups and continue to change the world. God bless you. See you again after the National Council with a new spirit and new strategy to work for the movement. 1 “Don’t worry, Be happy” The journey I enjoyed most recently fter a long wait in the office for a few things to get settled in the last quarter of the last year, A which never came through, I felt I should get out of it and do something worthwhile. I started my journey to Bhopal and had a fruitful meeting with our Chairman Archbishop Leo Cornelio who is a marvelous listener and great guide having a clear vision of what is required for youth and what he has to offer; then to Nagpur for the NTA/Exco meeting which was attended by many new faces where we could meet our former National Chaplain Fr. Johnny Monteiro, still young in spirit at the age of 76 and met Archbishop Abraham Viruthukulangara who can find a place among any age group, so fascinating person; then to Jalandhar via Delhi for ICYM Council meeting which helped me make lot of friends from all over India in which I could meaningfully make my point heard about why we ICYM and YCS/ YSM need to work together and how to do it; then to Patna for ICA training program with my friends Fr. Vijay Machado and Fr. Vijay Tellis, which helped me refresh myself in the catechetical aspect in the field of youth ministry which is the way I also listen and participate in the training programs besides talking a lot everywhere - there I met Fr. Choondal, a serene man knowing what he has to offer and our own Fr. Sabu a great host; then to Allahabad for Maha Kumbhmela, about which I have a story for you in the following paragraph; then to Kicha - Bareily to address the students of St. Peter’s School who will be a part of YCS/YSM from the next academic year; then to Kathgodom where I could meet the school dropout girls who are helped to pursue their studies again through the help of Bareily Diocesan Pastoral Centre with the help of Fr. Vijay and Fr. Pius and then took part in their Rally on atrocities committed against women, visited Nainithal and a had a good time there; then to Delhi to plan for the next training program for the northern region; then to Hyderabad to address the AP regional council about the movement which made us all to plan to revive the movement in AP and work together in the coming days and back to Chennai only to sustain a severe cold, cough and fever for 3 days. It was worth the journey. The journey from Nagpur to Delhi to Jalandhar to Delhi to Patna to Allahabad was so cold which made me shiver and had to beg Fr. Franklin for a thick bed sheet and that saved me. Maha Kumbhmela was a unforgettable incident in my life for two various reasons. Firstly I could see ocean of people flocking into Ganga River for a holy bath. The faith of the poor people, the akharas of Sadhus, and pilgrimage of people from all over India is a great scene to watch. I also did go to the Sangam on a boat and had a glimpse of people taking the holy dip which they believe will cleanse them from the sins and help them achieve holiness before God. The police personnel and volunteers have a hard time to manage the crowd but they do it with a large smile on their faces. A lot of foreigners also participate in the Mela. 2 Secondly it was a fateful evening where we were waiting for the train to Bereily at the Allahabad station where we were saved just by 10 meters from that stampede which killed 40 people. We felt so sorry for them crying hugging their near ones who lost their lives and injured. A large number of people were at the corner crying for their dear ones who were lost in the crowd especially the children and the elderly who wouldn’t know where to go and find their own. We had to go back to our shelter since the train never arrived that night. Thanks to Fr. Deepak, Fr. Aneesh and Mr. Akram who helped us a lot. Next morning we started our journey by bus at 8 am but at 12.30pm the bus broke down on the middle of the road. We waited there till 5pm on the road to repair the bus trying to stop other vehicles to give us a drop but nothing worked. The driver of the bus was so interesting person, so positive in the troubled times that he would fill us with positive strokes, not to be worried rather to have faith in him to reach us to the destination. Good heart but with a broken bus. Fortunately one of the fathers came to know about it and from Rae Bareily he drove towards us for 65 kms and took us to his house and gave shelter in his place. We were fortunate but we really felt bad for a few more people still stranded there. Next morning we started at 8 am from Rae Bareily to Lucknow and then to Bareily. We could reach Kicha at 9pm. There we took rest and next morning had a fruitful session for the students of St. Peter’s School who seem to be very much interested in the YCS movement. Fr. Royal did a good job in giving us a chance to introduce the movement there. Hope it will bear fruit. Then we went to Kathgodom where we encountered the school dropout girls who have come back to that centre to pursue their further studies. Besides study they have all kinds of extracurricular activities, they take active part in the social happenings, like they participated in the Rally held to protest against the atrocities committed against women in Delhi. They raise their voice without any fear. It is a great site to watch and a great job well done by the pastoral centre. At every step my friends Fr. Vijays would worry what to do next. I would only say Don’t Worry, Be Happy. God takes care of us and He did. It was a wonderful journey to cherish for long. - Fr. Charles Menezes Child without guide is wild CHILD RIGHTS Pride will be the child Child cries only the needs but Smiles always to thank Hug a child it will hug You a thousand, thousand times!!! I was a child Everybody was a child Every adult had a childhood Children make you adult!!! RIGHTS FOR CHILDREN, RIGHTS FOR FUTURE!!!! - N.